This is your Learning and Teaching page, where you will find key information and resources for each week of the programme. Please use the links below to navigate. The links to each class can be found here. You may also use the Units tab to find the materials for each class.

Week 1: Introduction (All Publishing Staff)

This week we welcome you the University of Stirling. We will start by introducing you to our Publishing Studies staff at Stirling: Dr Caroline Wintersgill, Dr Louisa Preston, Mr Alastair Horne and Ms Rita Faire, and to our Dean for Internationalisation, Dr Fiona Barclay. We will introduce our own areas of research and talk about our own PhD journeys in Publishing Studies and then ask you to add some first thoughts on the research topic you would like to undertake to a Padlet. We will explain the different topics that the course will cover and introduce you to the expectations we have of you as researchers, including the two assessment tasks you will need to complete to graduate from the course.

17/10/2023

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Week 2: Identifying and Specifying a Research Topic (Dr Louisa Preston)

This week's session will introduce the considerations in identifying a research topic. You may already have a subject you are interested in, or you may still be considering a wide range of possibilities. Dr Louisa Preston will lead you through what makes for a good research topic at doctoral level. How do you create a conceptual framework for your project. How do you specify a central research question, or questions? What work is needed to move from a subject you are interested in, to a viable research proposal? The session will introduce the format of a typical PhD proposal required by universities in the UK and internationally.

24/10/2023

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Week 3: Library Research Skills (Helen Beardsley, with Alastair Horne)

NOTE: Please bring your own laptop to this week's session. If you do not have one, you may arrange to share with a colleague. It is important for the learning in this session that you can access Stirling libraries via your computer.

This week's session is a practical introduction to conducting a literature search and to the wide range of resources available to you through Stirling University library. Although you are not here in Stirling in person, all of our journal and database holdings in Publishing are available digitally, and the majority of our books are available in eBook format. The session will be led by Helen Beardsley, our Academic Liaison Librarian, who has responsibility for Publishing Studies.

31/10/2023

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Week 4: Publishing Research Beyond the Library (Alastair Horne)

This week we explore the range of scholarly and professional research resources available to students of publishing. These include national libraries, publishing archives and a range of professional data sources, including Nielsen BookScan, which is a database providing the latest sales figures for tens of thousands of published books.

07/11/2023

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Week 5: Constructing a Literature Review (Alastair Horne)

This week we will be talking about how to research and write a detailed, critical literature review. This session is an essential introduction to inform the first formal assessment of the course, for which you will be asked to write a short literature review, discussing three books or articles on your research topic. There is more information under the Assessments tab.

14/11/23

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Week 6: Academic Writing (Dr Caroline Wintersgill)

This session will cover the skills involved in academic writing in English. We will discuss how to ensure clarity of expression, how to understand the difference between formal academic vocabulary and conversational vocabulary, and we will consider how you can develop your writing style and your distinctive academic 'voice'. We will also discuss the importance of critical thinking as a precursor to good academic writing.

21/11/23

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Week 7: Research Ethics (Rachel Beaton, with Dr Caroline Wintersgill)

This session introduces the concept of ethical research practice and explains why it is so important at PhD level. All researchers at Stirling University are required to obtain ethical approval of their project in advance of starting research. We will look at the university's ethical approval form and discuss how it should be completed.

28/11/23

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Week 8: Academic Referencing (Alastair Horne)

This week we will be discussing the vital topic of academic integrity. What is the correct way to cite your sources, and what styles of referencing are most commonly used in publishing studies. This session will also look at the benefits of using bibliographic software to organise your references for a major research project such as a PhD.

5/12/23

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Week 9: Theoretical Models in Publishing Research (Dr Louisa Preston)

PhD projects require a robust theoretical framing. This week we will look at the concepts and theories available to you as Publishing Researchers, including Robert Darnton's Communication Circuit and Gérard Genette's concept of the Paratext.

12/12/23

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We now have a break from the course for three weeks, returning on Tuesday 9 January 2024. During the break, you should work on writing a first draft of your research proposal.

Week 10: Building a Research Methodology (Rita Faire)

This session is an introduction to ontology and epistemology. You will learn about the importance of research design, how to understand and express your own position as a researcher and finding the right research methods for your project.

9/1/24

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Week 11: Research Communication (Dr Caroline Wintersgill)

In this session we explore how to present your research within a range of different academic and professional contexts. One of these contexts is the writing of a research proposal, for scrutiny by a prospective supervisor, but you are also encouraged to think about how you would communicate your research at any academic conference, within a policy forum, or at a professional publishing event such as a publishing conference or book fair.

16/1/24

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